physicschapter6

Reaction Rate, Order,
and Molecularity
by Abdullah Shah
Understanding Reaction Rate
The reaction rate is a measure of how quickly a chemical reaction progresses. It quantifies the change in concentration of
reactants or products per unit of time. Imagine a flask containing reactants, and as the reaction proceeds, the reactants are
consumed, and products are formed. The reaction rate describes how fast this transformation occurs.
1 2
Definition Measurement
The reaction rate is defined as the change in Reaction rates can be measured experimentally by
concentration of a reactant or product over a specific time monitoring the change in concentration of reactants or
interval. products over time using techniques such as
spectrophotometry, titration, or chromatography.
Factors Influencing Reaction Rate
Several factors can influence how fast a chemical reaction proceeds. Understanding these factors is essential for manipulating
reaction rates in different applications, such as drug development or industrial synthesis.
1 Temperature 2 Pressure
Increasing temperature generally speeds up reactions For reactions involving gases, increasing pressure can
by increasing the kinetic energy of molecules, making increase the rate by forcing molecules closer together,
collisions more frequent and effective. leading to more collisions.
3 Concentration 4 Catalysts
Higher concentrations of reactants result in more Catalysts are substances that speed up reactions
frequent collisions, increasing the likelihood of without being consumed in the process. They provide
successful reactions. For example, increasing the an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation
concentration of a substrate in an enzymatic reaction energy, making reactions proceed more quickly.
will generally accelerate the rate.
Reaction Order
Reaction order refers to the relationship between the concentration of reactants and the reaction rate. It's an experimentally
determined value that indicates how much the rate of a reaction changes when the concentration of a reactant is altered.
Understanding the order of a reaction is crucial in predicting how changes in reactant concentrations will affect the overall rate
of the reaction.
Zero Order First Order Second Order
The reaction rate is independent of the The reaction rate is directly The reaction rate is proportional to the
concentration of the reactants. The proportional to the concentration of square of the concentration of one
rate remains constant regardless of one reactant. Doubling the reactant or the product of the
changes in reactant concentrations. concentration of that reactant will concentrations of two reactants.
double the rate of the reaction.
Determining Reaction Order
The order of a reaction cannot be predicted solely from its balanced chemical equation; it must be determined experimentally.
Several methods can be used to determine reaction order, relying on careful measurements of reaction rates under varying
conditions.
Method of Initial Rates 1

By comparing initial reaction rates at different
reactant concentrations, the order of the reaction
with respect to each reactant can be determined. 2 Integrated Rate Laws
These equations relate the concentration of
reactants or products to time. By plotting
experimental data and fitting it to the appropriate
Half-Life Method 3 integrated rate law, the order of the reaction can be
The half-life of a reaction is the time it takes for the determined.
concentration of a reactant to decrease to half its
initial value. The half-life method can be used to
determine the order of the reaction, as the half-life
is related to the order.
Molecularity
Molecularity refers to the number of molecules that participate in the
elementary step of a reaction. It describes the actual number of molecules
that collide and interact to form the transition state in a single step. This
concept is distinct from reaction order, which is based on experimental
observations of the overall reaction rate.
Unimolecular
A single molecule undergoes a change, such as decomposition or
isomerization.
Bimolecular
Two molecules collide and interact to form products.
Termolecular
Three molecules simultaneously collide and react. These reactions are less
common due to the low probability of three molecules colliding at the
right time and orientation.
Relationship Between Order and
Molecularity
While molecularity describes the elementary steps of a reaction, reaction
order is determined by the overall rate law, which can involve multiple
steps. In simple reactions, the order and molecularity may coincide, but
this is not always the case.
Molecularity Order Relationship
Unimolecular First order Often coincide for

simple reactions
Bimolecular Second order Often coincide for

simple reactions
Termolecular Third order Less common, but

possible
For complex reactions involving multiple steps, the order may not directly
reflect the molecularity of the slowest, rate-determining step. The overall
rate law, and therefore the reaction order, is determined by the slowest
step in the reaction mechanism.

physicschapter6

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

physicschapter6

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

physicschapter6

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reaction Rate, Order,

Zero Order First Order Second Order

Method of Initial Rates 1

Molecularity Order Relationship

Unimolecular First order Often coincide for

Bimolecular Second order Often coincide for

Termolecular Third order Less common, but

You might also like